Puzzle game board and pieces



y 1955 c. 0. BROWN 2,712,938

PUZZLE GAME BOARD AND PIECES Filed Sept. 24, 1952 jil rz on (aZz/Ziz fira lam .lgvy ham United States Patent Office 2,712,938 Patented July 12, 1955 PUZZLE GARE BOARD AND PIECES Calvin 0. Brown, Cary, 111., assignor, by mesue assignments, to Sat Screw & Mfg. Company, Bartiett, 11L, a corporation of illinois Application September 24, 1952, Serial No. 311,278

9 Ciaims. (Cl. 273-133) This invention relates to puzzle games and game boards to be used for amusement and educational purposes by both adults and children. The game is designed to develop powers of logic and reasoning as well as to afford a pleasing pastime.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive game apparatus including game board and playing pieces, and to provide an amusement device having educational or training value for those who play the games available with apparatus of the character hereof.

The two essentials of the game or puzzle are a playing board on which there are a predetermined number of playing positions or stations and a set of playing pieces to be moved about on the board from position to position in a pre-chosen definite order or manner to obtain a predetermined or given resulting arrangement. While various numbers of stations may be provided upon the board and the game may employ various numbers of playing pieces, a preferred board construction and arrangement and preferred game or playing pieces in numher and cooperative form are illustrated in the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents an isometric view of a game board constructed in accordance with the invention in one form with playing stations of a preferred form, arrangement and number, and twenty-one game pieces disposed in initial positions ready to be played;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same board as that shown in Fig. 1 with the playing or game pieces disposed in their ultimate positions after playing from initial positions arranged as a variant of the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the board illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 showing a preferred playing pieces stationing arrangement and a preferred type of playing pieces.

The playing board 4 may be a simple rectangular block of wood, metal, plastic or other material, the upper or playing surface of which is drilled or otherwise formed to provide a series of spaced holes or depressions 5 for the reception of the reduced shanks 6 of playing pieces 7. While the pieces 7 are illustrated as having cylindrical heads and shanks and the holes in the board have cylindrical walls of slightly greater diameter than the shanks of the pieces, the shapes of these parts are relatively immaterial as will be appreciated. Of course,

other types of playing pieces may be employed and the playing stations or positions may merely be marked upon the surface of the board, but it is preferable that both board, stations and playing pieces be so constructed and arranged that the playing pieces, once placed in position, will be held in such positions until positively moved.

In the arrangement illustrated, there are forty-three playing positions or holes 5 and there are twenty-one game or playing pieces 7 of which twenty may be substantially identical in every respect and one of odd shape, color or other characteristic differentiating from the other twenty. The one particular or special game piece or player will be referred to herein as the key piece while the others may be referred to as the ordinary pieces. The key piece is intended initially to occupy one or the other of several predetermined positions and to be moved, in playing the game to a final predetermined position.

The playing stations or positions in the embodiments illustrated are arranged in parallel rows in a pattern of two isosceles triangles having parallel bases and a common apex with two additional stations or positions one to each side of the common apex. The playingpositions are equidistantly spaced from one another in each row with the playing positions staggered as between rows and so located that the distance from the center of a position in one row to an adjacent game piece in an adjacent row is the same as the distance between positions of successive players in either row. In other words, the centers of any three adjacent playing pieces in two rows will be located at the apices of equilateral triangles. While the described arrangement is preferred, other arrangements including spacing may be employed, as will be obvious.

As indicated above, the games may be played with the board and playing pieces are various and some of the variations may have two or more solutions, depending upon the method of play chosen. It should suffice for illustrative purposes to give three variants of play wherein the method of play employed is substantially the same but, wherein the initial and final positions of the key piece will be different, and one illustration wherein the number of game pieces employed is changed. These variations will be described below under headings Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, and Example 4.

Example 1.-The twenty-one playing pieces are arranged as illustrated in Fig. l in the positions marked thereon as 1 to 20 inclusive and 22 with the key piece shown in position 9 which for ease of reference has also been circled. The positions have all been numbered on the drawing for convenience of reference and may be omitted from the actual playing board or imprinted thereon if desired. Position number 35 has also been circled for ease of reference. The object of the game is to move all of the playing pieces from their positions or stations 1 to 20 inclusive and 22 to positions 22 and 24 to 43 inclusive, with the key piece finally positioned in position 35 which corresponds, in the pattern illustrated, to position 9. The plays themselves are to be made by jumping one piece over another to a vacant hole with a maximum of plays being played in straight lines moving forward and a minimum of plays being made transversely or laterally of the board, and no plays being made backward, the object also being to complete the game with a minimum total of moves. With the key positions preselected as 9 and 35, the following alternative solution moves 72, in number, may be employed to effect a desired result.

From To or From To From T or From To V 25 32 24 29 21 27 23 27 19 25 20 24 19 25 20 24 2 4 5 3 25 30 24 31 Y 8 17 10 17 27 34 27 36 14 19 13 2O 30 39 31 42 24 29 25 32 12 19 15 20 26 33 28' 37 19 25 20 24 28 37 26 33 16 18 18 16 22 28 22 26 14 19 13 20 3 14 4 13 17 23 17 21 9 16 9 18 23 27 21 27 16 l 22 18 22 24 31 25 30 20 24 19 25 20 24 19 25 25 30 '24 31 15 20 12 19 22 26 22 28 22 26 22 28 26 28 35 24 29 25 32 7 16 11 18 18 22 16 22 11 18 7 16 20 24 19 25 15 20 12 19 25 30 24 31 Example 2.-With the key piece positions preselected at 17 and 27 as indicated, in Fig. 2, the following solution moves may be made to obtain the desired results.

From T0 or From To From T0 or From To 19 25 29 24 22 28 22 26 20 24 19 25 16 22 18 22 13 20 14 19 7 16 11 18 14 19 13 29 25 32 24 29 7 21 17 23 19 25 20 24 5 14 2 13 14 19 13 20 22 26 22 28 27 34 27 36 18 22 16 22 29 32 41 9 18 9 16 24 29 25 32 24 29 25 32 2D 24 19 25 20 24 19 25 13 20 14 19 15 20 12 19 17 23 17 21 4 15 3 12 23 27 21 27 10 17 a 8 17 30 39 31 42 17 2 17 21 25 30 24 31 23 27 21 27 19 25 20 24 25 39 24 31 12 19 15 2O 2 13 5 14 24 31 25 30 8 17 1O 17 20 24 19 25 24 31 25 3O 15 2O 12 19 20 24 19 25 26 33 28 37 15 20 12 19 29 38 32 43 6 15 a 1 12 22 26 22 28 26 35 28 35 24 29 25 32 30 41 31 40 18 22 16 22 25 39 24 31 20 24 V 19 25 19 25 20 2/4 28 37 26 33 12 19 15 20 32 43 29 38 1 12 6 15 22 28 22 26 22 26 22 28 25 32 24 29 18 22 16 22 16 22 18 22 11 18 7 16 19 25 20 24 Example 3.With the key piece at position 22 both initially and finally, the following gives the moves that may be employed to obtain one solution.

From To From To From To From To Other variation and innovations may be devised. The patterns for the playing stations and the rules employed may be changed, the number of rows of playing stations may be increased or decreased with or without an increase or decrease in the number of playing pieces, there maybe several key pieces and key positions, etc. As will be apparent also, the game may be played solitaire or by two persons one of whom may play the game one way as from the top of Fig. 1 to the bottom thereof, the other playing the playing pieces back in reverse order. Accordingly, the invention should be considered as limited only by its spirit within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having two groups of a plurality of playing stations each arrayed pattern being the image of the other with an apex of each directed toward the other, each of the rows of each group being substantially parallel to one another with three playing stations forming an apex row common to both groups, the row of each group that is next adjacent to said apex row having two stations, the next row in succession in each group having three, the next four, the next five and the last six playing stations, the sum total of playing stations in each group counting its apex row station being twenty-one in number and the total number of all stations being 43, and a set of twenty-one playing pieces including one piece difierentiated from all others.

2. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having two groups of a plurality of playing stations each arrayed thereon in a plurality of substantially parallel rows, the rows and stations of each group being arrayed in a triangular pattern with a single playing station forming a common apex row for both groups, the row of each group that is next adjacent to said apex row having two stations, the next row in succession in each group having three, the next four, the next five and the last six playing stations, the sum total of playing stations in each group counting said apex row station with each group being twenty-one in number, a playing station disposed laterally to each side of said apex row station, and a set of twenty-one playing pieces including one piece difierentiated from all others.

3. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having forty three playing stations arran ed in eleven parallel rows with equal spacing between stations in each and every row, the first row having six playing stations, the second row five playing stations with each station located in staggered position between and equidistantly from two adjacent playing stations in the first row, the third, fourth and fifth rows in succession having one less playing station each than the preceding row with each of the station locations equally spaced from the adjacent two stations of the immediately preceding row, the sixth row having three playing stations the middle one of which is staggered between the two of row five, the seventh through the eleventh rows having playing stations in numbers respectively equal to rows five, four, three, two and first, and twenty-one playing pieces of which one is distinguishable from all others.

4. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having forty three playing stations arranged in eleven parallel rows with spacing between stations in each and every row, the first row having six playing stations, the second row five playing stations with each station located between two adjacent playing stations in the first row, the third, fourth and fifth rows in succession having one less playing station each than the preceding row with the station locations staggered as between successive rows as between rows one and two, the sixth row having three playing stations the middle one of which is between the two of row five, the seventh through the eleventh rows having playing stations in numbers respectively equal to rows five, four, three, two and first, and twentyone playing pieces of which one is distinguishable from all others.

5. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having forty three playing stations arranged in eleven parallel rows with equal spacing between stations in each and every row, the first row having six playin stations, the second row five playing stations with each station located between and equidistantly from two adjacent playing stations in the first row, the third, fourth and fifth rows in succession having one less playing station each than the preceding row with the station locations stag ered as between successive rows as between rows one and two, the sixth row having three playing stations the middle one of which is staggered between the two of row five, the seventh through the eleventh rows having playing U Ll stations in numbers respectively equal to rows five, four, three, two and first.

6. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having a plurality of playing stations indicated thereon in spaced relation to one another, there being at least ten such stations arranged in four generally parallel rows Within each of two groups, each of said groups being of poly onal pattern in outline form, the group patterns being substantially symmetrical with respect to one another, one row being common to both groups and containing one station common to both groups, said one station forming the apex of the juncture of each of adjacent sides of each polygonal pattern, the station row in each group that is next adjacent to said apex row consisting of two stations and the successive two rows of each group consisting of three and four stations, respectively, said stations of said one row also including two stations of which one is disposed at one side and the other at the opposite side of said one station and substantially in the row thereof, and playing pieces of which there are at least ten in number including one differentiated from a majority of the balance.

7. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having a plurality of playing stations indicated thereon in spaced relation to one another, there being at least ten such stations arranged in four generally parallel rows within each of two groups, each of said groups being of polygonal pattern in outline form, the group patterns being substantially symmetrical with respect to one another, one row being common to both groups and containing one station common to both groups, said one station being disposed at the apex of the angle between two adjacent sides of each pattern, the station row in each group that is next adjacent to said apex row consisting of two stations and the successive two rows of each group consisting of three and four stations, respectively, said stations of said one row also including two stations of which one is disposed at one side and the other at the opposite side of said one station and substantially in the row thereof.

8. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having a plurality of playing stations indicated thereon in spaced relation to one another, there being at least two groups of such stations with at least ten stations in each group arranged in not less than four generally parallel rows in each group, the stations of each group being arranged to compose a polygonal pattern in outline form, the group patterns being substantially symmetrical with respect to one another and there being at least one row of stations common to both groups and containing one station common to both groups, said one station forming the apex of the juncture of each of a pair of adjacent sides of each polygonal pattern, the station row in each group that is next adjacent to said apex row consisting of two stations and the successive two rows of each group consisting of three and four stations respectively, said stations of said one row also including two stations of which one is disposed at one side and the other at the opposite side of said one station and substantially in the row thereof, and playing pieces of which there are at least ten in numberdncluding one differentiated from a majority of the balance.

9. A puzzle game comprising a playing board having a plurality of playing stations indicated thereon in spaced relation to one another, there being at least ten such stations arranged in at least four generally parallel rows Within each of two groups, each group being of polygonal pattern in outline form, the group patterns being substantially symmetrical with respect to one another, one row of stations being common to both groups and con taining one station common to both groups, said one station being disposed at the apex of the angle between two adjacent sides of each group pattern, the station row in each group that is next adjacent to said apex station row consisting of two stations and the successive two rows of each group consisting of three and four 7 stations, respectively, said stations of said one row also including two other stations of which one is disposed at one side and the other at the opposite side of the said one station and substantially in the row thereof.

References Cited in the fiie of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 357,923 Hanson Feb. 15, 1887 8 Heimbuecher Apr. 1, Langley July 23, Elvers Jan. 28, Howard Oct. 15, Peterson Oct. 29, 

